A MID Wales “Grizzly Adams” has revealed who he has spent the last 25 years befriending a sett of badgers.

The badgers – Seeny, Tiny and Spoot – know his voice, recognise his scent and will even eat from his hand.

Gareth Morgan is almost family.

In the past 25 years the retired civil servant has formed an astonishing bond with badgers at a mid Wales sett.

Now his affinity with the animals has been captured on film by a camera crew who are marketing a 63-minute DVD on Gareth’s own website.

Stunned wildlife celebrities from David Bellamy to Iolo Williams have written tributes after seeing footage of Gareth playing with the badgers – even feeding one mouth-to-mouth.

In the film Gareth, 66, describes the action as it unfolds at the sett three miles outside Newtown. Viewers can see badgers eat, scent, gather bedding, preen and play with their human friend.

He said: “I first came across the sett 25 years ago while out bird-watching – and returned almost every day for the next 10 years. It took me five years to gain their trust. People have said I must have the patience of Job, but if you love something the time just flies by.”

He’s watched two generations of the badger family grow up. He’s never been bitten or scratched, though Barnaby, an aggressive alpha male, would give him painful butts to show who was boss.

Emily, a doting female, was his guardian angel, growling at interlopers, while Scratcher would allow him to clean wounds incurred in family squabbles.

Gareth – known at the “Badgerman” – tempts then with peanuts and in recent years has been confident enough to invite along groups of disbelieving wildlife enthusiasts, many from overseas.

When the badgers die, it’s usually sudden and always distressing. In the past 12 months alone he’s waved goodbye to his two favourites, Scratcher and Emily, both aged 15 years.

“I do get a bit tearful – it’s like losing a pet,” admits Gareth. “One day they seem healthy, the next day they’re gone. But I’ve got over it now.”

Filmmaker Matthew Davies, a close friend who was with Gareth when the sett was first discovered, began shooting material in May. Most was shot in daylight, providing an intimate portrayal of family life with stunning close-ups of the UK’s largest remaining native animal.

Matthew said: “The badgers were wary of us and would bolt if we made a sudden noise. But if they could hear Gareth’s voice they felt safe and re-assured.”

The DVD, called the Mid Wales Badgerman, costs £9.99 from www.midwalesbadgerman.com